Marketing is like fishing.
To catch a certain type of fish, you need to use the right bait and go to an area they’re known to frequent.
If you use a bigger tool like a net, you might rake in more fish, but there’s no telling what kind you’ll get.
It’s the same with your customers. You might advertise broadly, thinking anyone you reach could be a buyer, but that’s rarely the case.
And it can be a costly mistake.
Because going after “everyone” is the fastest way to overspend on marketing or advertising. It’s like casting a net in a sea of variety, when you only want redfish.
Why spend money luring in people who might look, but won’t buy?
That’s why we suggest focusing on a specific target audience. It won’t be your only audience, just the one you should spend money trying to reach.
You’ll get a better return on your marketing dollar this way. To start figuring out the customers in that target audience, create an avatar.
What’s a Customer Avatar?
A customer avatar (also called a buyer persona) is a great way to help you focus on the right market. Because it’s a representation of the type of person who’s most likely to buy from you.
With a customer avatar in hand, you will:
- Have an easier time reaching your best prospect.
- Know where to spend your money more effectively.
- Get better at appealing to their specific needs in your promotional offers.
And don’t worry, we’re not suggesting that you only target one type of customer. You can have a few avatars. Just start with the type of customer that brings in the most sales for your business.
Creating Your Customer Avatar
Here are a few things that should be included in your customer avatar profile:
1. Demographics: The best way to start is by listing their demographic traits. This includes age, sex, education level, income level, marital status, and occupation. Delve into your customer database to figure out as much of this as you can.
* A note about age: In marketing, ages are typically broken down into these ranges: 18 to 24, 25 to 34, 35 to 44, 45 to 54, 55 to 64, and 65+. We suggest focusing on 2 to 3 age ranges. Think about how a 55-year-old would respond vs. a 25-year-old.
2. Psychographics: This area is a little trickier to discern as it focuses on values, attitudes, interests and lifestyle. Your customer might be interested in sports, for example, interior design and décor, healthy eating, family time, or DIY projects.
3. Give your avatar a name: Humanize it a little and give your profile a male or female name—or one of each. This will also differentiate it if you have more than one avatar.
4. Add a face as well: Why not go one step further and use a stock photo for that person? This will make them easier to remember.
5. Describe the buyer moment: Step into your avatar’s shoes and describe the moment when they discover or buy your product/service. What made them search for your solution? How were they feeling? What were they hoping to solve or accomplish? How did they find you? What made them buy from you vs. others? How did they feel after the purchase? Warning: This description should be based on research and customer feedback—not your perceptions.
6. Create a profile: Bring it all together into a one-page profile for each avatar. It should include their name, photo, information and buyer moment.
Where do we go to research customers?
As we mentioned earlier, it’s important to base your avatar on research and customer feedback rather than educated guesses or your perceptions.
You might ask why. After all, you might have been your own first customer when you started your business.
But do you know what younger generations say, think and feel about your product or service now?
Customer preferences also change over time. So it’s best to check in with your target customers once in a while for an inside look.
A few of our favorite ways to get customer intel:
Internal Customer Database: You’re likely to have some demographic data in your database. Ask your customer service staff or salespeople if they can fill in any holes regarding psychographics as well.
Review Mining: Reviews are not just for Google or your website. You can use them for research too. Look closely at your reviews for the past year and see what adjectives customers use to describe their experiences (good and bad). Then look at reviews for competitors or others in your industry on Google or Trust Pilot. What kinds of words did customers use most and which features or benefits did they focus on most?
Customer surveys: Yes, the dreaded survey. It’s still around for a reason: it works. You can make it a short and sweet email survey (3 or 4 questions) or have someone call and arrange to speak with a few key customers. These calls can yield true gold, but they’re best done by a third party. Most customers are not comfortable being upfront when speaking to their rep or business owner.
Using avatars to define your target market further
Want to learn which market segments could be the most promising for your business? Researching and creating avatars can help.
Ask yourself: Were there some commonalities among your top customers? Did the happiest customers have identifiable characteristics?
Then use this to narrow down your target market. It’ll help you be more effective and, ultimately, more profitable.
Consider narrowing your market by:
- Geographic location
- Demographic characteristics
- Industry focus (residential vs. commercial, etc.)
- Services for special customer needs
- Size or scope
- Type of customer (moms, executives, etc.)
- Budget range
In the end, we all want to grow our businesses faster. Taking a deeper dive into your customers and creating avatars can help you get there.
Getting started with your marketing? See our guide to Online Marketing for Small Business Success.
Have any questions? Let us know below or send an email.
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